The advent and increasing popularity of digital photography and photo editing software has made photo editing easier, even for amateur and hobbyist photographers. If you've never done so before and want to learn how to edit photos, refer to the tips provided in this guide.
Introduction
- Before digital cameras, photo editing was an intensive process, best left to professional photographers with their own darkrooms and plenty of expensive equipment. However, now anyone with a digital camera and a computer can edit their own photos.
Step 1: Determine Your Needs
(Creative Commons photo by DanieVDM)
- There are dozens of different photo editing programs, some of which much be purchased as software packages, others which you can use for free online. Before deciding which program to purchase or use, figure out what photo editing functions are important to you.
- An online photo editing program should suffice if you want to make small and basic adjustments to your photos, such as:
- Removing red-eye
- Cropping and/or resizing your photos
- Making minor color adjustments
- However, you may want to purchase a more advanced photo editing software program if you are looking to make more advanced edits such as:
- Layering
- Applying filters
- Lightening and darkening only specific areas of your photos
- Restoring old or damaged photos
Step 2: Choose a Program
- Once you have determined what you're looking for in an editing software, explore your options further. In some cases, you may be able to avoid this step altogether if a software package was included with your camera. Most photo editing services and software programs will offer at least an introductory walkthrough or free trial to allow you to try out the features. If you can, make use of these options to help you discover the program that you are most comfortable working with.
- Some online photo editing services you may want to check out include:
- Picnik
- Snipshot
- Lunapic
- Phixr
- Pixenate
- FotoFlexer
- Cellsea
- Splashup
- Picture2Life
- Preloadr
- If you're looking for more advanced photo editing features and are willing to spend some money to purchase a software program, some of your options are:
- Photoshop
- Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo
- Roxio Photosuite
- Ulead PhotoImpact
Step 3: Learn and Practice
- Once you have selected a photo editing program, explore all the features it has to offer and learn how to use the different functions by:
- Watching and reading any available tutorials and instructional guides
- Playing around with the different features and observing how they change the look of your photos
Conclusion
Whether you simply want to touch up your photos, or create a flawless photo to enter in a photography contests, you're sure to find a photo editing program that suits your needs. Once you've got some practice and learned how to use your chosen photo editing program, you'll likely find yourself enjoying the art of touching up, improving, and changing the look of your photos.
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How can I edit my pictures at Photoshop?(1 Answer)
A:
Right click the image and select "Open with Adobe Photoshop"
